What started as a simple mediocre amateur movie project is slowly turning into a path of self-discovery — and I have no problems with that. What I do want to point out before we dive into this episode is that for anyone who’s on the fence about Hyouka should really tune in for this current arc!

Sometimes, I think that Kyoto Animation has the ability to read our minds. Somehow, someway, they always seem to changes things at just the right moment to keep their shows fun and interesting. And in regards to this episode, I couldn’t have asked for a better format change up.

After last week’s amazing episode that thoroughly blew my mind away with not one but two huge revelations, this week’s step back left me wanting more. Not because the episode was bad, but the lack of substance behind the mystery and a lingering question that kept surfacing had me looking for something that wasn’t necessarily there.

「栄光ある古典部の昔日」 (Eikouaru Kotenbu no Sekijitsu)
“The Antiquity of the Classics Club and Their Glory”

Unlike other mystery shows where there’s only a single person who has the ability to put facts together, I was pleasantly surprised with Chitanda, Satoshi, and Mayaka’s ability to keep up with Houtaro.

For all of the readers out there who dropped this show because they’re not following the golden rule of giving a series at least three episodes before dropping it like a brick, I believe that you’ll be pleasantly surprised should you watch this third episode of Hyouka.

「名誉ある古典部の活動」 (Meiyoaru Kotenbu no Katsudou)
“The Activities of the Classics Club and Its Honor”

If anything, I’d say this week’s episode of Hyouka was a lot more compelling than last weeks. Even though there weren’t any spectacular hair rape scenes, I thought this episode did a better job of telling its story and an even better job of portraying Houtaro’s nature. Now, if only it didn’t end on that damn cliffhanger…